HOLY HANNAH !!! A School Bus?

[ainley53]

I went to an auction this morning planning to buy a very nice 2012 Ford E350 Super Duty extended length van with a 24 inch extended height roof and a 5.4L V-8 gas engine . The bidding for said van went through the roof. It finally sold for over $6K; which is in the lower end of the Kelly Blue "retail" price. Needless to say I was not the high bidder. But this school bus had just sold for a ridiculously low price if $1550. This bus looks brand new! New tires, wheels, paint and only 36K miles. It is missing all the turn signal and brake light bulbs, and the mirrors. I jokingly asked the buyer if he would like to sell his new bus for $1750 and was astonished when he said "Yes". He claims I saved his life as his wife would have killed him had he shown up at home with a school bus. LOL. And if that wasn't enough, there's this 2014 Lark 8.5' x 14' enclosed motorcycle/cargo trailer begging to be bought CHEAP; so I bought it too. Both combined were less than the van sold for. Not exactly how I planned the day. I spent months figuring out how to build out my 2008 Saturn Outlook, then found this 2012 Ford E350 van and spent a month planning the build out on it. So how did I come home with A SCHOOL BUS? All I can say is it seems like fate to me. Now I have to start from scratch to build out a school bus. THIS SHOULD BE FUN!!!

Comments and suggestions welcome as always. Pic to follow.

 

[ahh_me2]

Hey, good for you!

I hope you don't have too much of a problem with insurance issues.

I'd love to have a bus like that to do a build on, but I'm happy with my cube van.

 

[Patrick46]

Woo-Hooo!!! What a score!!!



OK...I've got School Bus Envy!!

 

[Theadyn]

Nice, Congrats!!

 

[Goshawk]

What auctions event and where?

 

[Baloo]

Hey, good for you!

I hope you don't have too much of a problem with insurance issues.

I'd love to have a bus like that to do a build on, but I'm happy with my cube van.

Call Progressive, they have been insuring my ambo for the past ten years. You will need a commercial policy till you have retitled to a motor home (not hard to do).

What a great bus! So many possibilities! I own the complete paper service manual set for your chassis, let me know if you need help with any of the services of repair!

 

[Baloo]

What transmission does it have? If you call international they can decode your vin and tell what all your bus has. Also get to know the last 8 numbers of the vin cause that is how international looks up parts and information. (I keep the last 8 written down in my wallet just in case I need a part)

 

[rvpopeye]

I was just telling Salty Sea Witch how kharma can make things happen and then I read this thread.........enjoy the build.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

I love it!! Not sure where you are but TN is easy to get a bus to RV tag. Here in Roane County they do not even come out to look and see if you really did convert it. Hell, use my address if you need to. I hate government control. Viva Le Resistance ;-)

 

[ainley53]

Thanks Baloo. I'll need all the help/advice I can get. Never owned a diesel before. I already found the engine service manual on eBay and ordered/bought that. Still need to find the manuals for the chassis and other stuff.

The auction was a small local thing in Martin TN. (northwest corner of TN). Just pure chance as I did not go looking for a bus and only considered it after the Ford E350 van I wanted sold at retail price. And I only considered the trailer because no one was bidding on it.

Sea Witch, I'll have to check into the registration thing. If it's pretty easy to title and register as a motorhome in TN then that might make it easier to transfer to a Texas registration as all my other vehicles and home address are in Texas.

I'll have to give Progressive a call as Amica Ins. already told me "Sorry, we don't insure STUFF like that". Well, 'scuse me.

 

[ainley53]

What transmission does it have? If you call international they can decode your vin and tell what all your bus has. Also get to know the last 8 numbers of the vin cause that is how international looks up parts and information. (I keep the last 8 written down in my wallet just in case I need a part)

Baloo, I'm not sure which tranny it has but I think it's an Allison.
Ther VIN is: 1HVBBABM9TH396695

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

Sea Witch, I'll have to check into the registration thing.  If it's pretty easy to title and register as a motorhome in TN then that might make it easier to transfer to a Texas registration as all my other vehicles and home address are in Texas.

I'll have to give Progressive a call as Amica Ins. already told me "Sorry, we don't insure STUFF like that".  Well, 'scuse me.

ainley53, I read a few posts about various TN counties registering and doing re-title from bus to RV with no problems. One or two counties said no and the person just went to the next county over. Smaller towns are probably best. I have never once been asked for proof of Insurance or proof of address in Roane, Anderson, or Cumberland counties.

skoolie.net has posts on various Insurance companies that will work for you at really low prices for RV. Like $23 a month!

Can't wait to see what you do with your bus!!

 

[LoupGarou]

You may not have trouble insuring it as a bus, but if your doing a conversation the insurance company may drop you. It's not that they don't trust your skills, it's that they have trouble assigning a value to the vehicle.

Vehicle conversions to an RV require a title change resulting in a new VIN being assigned. Insurance companies take the VIN and break it down by letter and number to determine what their covering. Don't be surprised if your agent gets you coverage, only for you to receive a letter from corporate prior to your next renewal that your being dropped.

Keep in mind that the insurance company may not cover you should they discover the vehicle does not meet their guidelines for an RV. Be prepared to submit photos of the inside and outside.

 

[Matlock]

ainley53,
You have a winner. And a trailer to boot. SWEET !

Vehicle conversions to an RV require a title change resulting in a new VIN being assigned.

Ok that's a new one on me. Title change, yep, but the new VIN is news. May not be across the board with all states.
Worth look'in into for sure.

 

[MikeRuth]

for those of you who know for fact, a VIN change? this would require the physical change of the VIN plate and any other identifying numbers assigned to the vehicle at the time of manufacture no?

As mention changing the VIN would alter the use of the last 8 digits for parts?

Just curious.

Mike R

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

for those of you who know for fact, a VIN change? this would require the physical change of the VIN plate and any other identifying numbers assigned to the vehicle at the time of manufacture no?

As mention changing the VIN would alter the use of the last 8 digits for parts?

Just curious.

Mike R

I thought the same thing Mike. Doesn't seem like the actual VIN would change, just the classification of the vehicle in DMV when it is ran. Also have read where title was changed from Bus to RV (for example) and then Insurance Company said it was a still a bus. That would mean Insurance went by VIN and it still came up as a bus. VIN number change doesn't make sense. How would you prove it was yours? Your title and actual vehicle would have 2 different sets of numbers.  Maybe I am missing something but that doesn't seem logical to me.

 

[compassrose]

I strongly suggest you use Terry's FB group (Skoolie Converters). He will ask you questions. He will expect you to have a little conversation with him without getting all pissy about it. THEN you will be approved to join. That means you get into a nice helpful group that is more interested in helping you make a good, safe conversion rather than just tearing your apart because you aren't doing things things their way. When someone in the group generally says you shouldn't do something, there is usually a very good reason as to why you shouldn't be doing it. And you will get booted if you are nasty to others. Skoolie.net has run off almost all the good converters and what is left will get you killed if you follow their advise. Particularly one will get you killed (and why the guy from www.noshockzone.org posts on a thread I started from time to time).

Note: before you implement any ideas, do your research and look at what the person giving you the nifty advise has for a conversion.

 

[compassrose]

VIN number:

Changed an Eagle 05 from Commercial Bus to RV in TN and kept the same VIN number.

 

[SaltySeaWitch]

VIN number:

Changed an Eagle 05 from Commercial Bus to RV in TN and kept the same VIN number.

Compassrose......I am in TN. do you mind if I ask who you got insurance with?

 

[compassrose]

Compassrose......I am in TN. do you mind if I ask who you got insurance with?

Didn't. This was the Eagle. Could never get past all the rust issues so it got scrapped. We brought the BlueBird 1700+ miles out west with no insurance. It's still not insured because when I tried to get insurance, my address was in an RV park and Nat Gen does not insure "fulltime" buses. I'm parked in a backyard biding my time. Come spring I will try getting insurance again. First thru Nat Gen and then I will hit up the local State Farm (among others).